Club Rose
by ragamuffin009
Summary: Kankurou comes home every night smelling of booze. His father wonders where he goes, and thinks he's up to no good. But he's really playing floor bass at a jazz club downtown. Who is the new girl, and why does she remind him of his mother? A few pairings.
1. Well

Not another AU fic! Oh no!

Oh well, this is a good one, and for once it ISN'T ANGST! No wai, me? NOT angst? Kankurou? Gasp!

...Enjoy!

* * *

"Where do you go at night?" The man asked, his dark brown hair hanging in his face, worry lines and bags under his eyes clearly visible in the dim light provided by a refrigerator that was being raided by a teenager.

"None of your business," the teenager, who looked distinctly like the man, replied. He sighed heavily and closed the door, sealing off the light. "Why the hell don't we ever have food, here, eh?"

"I wouldn't know, Kankurou. Maybe if you'd get a job and help me out, we _would_ have something."

"It's not _my_ fault mom took the car and the cash an' _we_ got stuck with the shitty house!"

"Don't drag _that_ into this. This is about _you,_ Kankurou. Now answer me: _Where do you go at night?_"

"And I'll tell you again! _None... Of your goddamn… Business."_

"Oh please. Spare me that, and just tell me the truth, for _once._"

"Okay, I go into a dark alley, do cocaine, then get molested by Ronald McDonald. I'm going to bed."

"Kankurou, you come home every night smelling like smoke and booze and _God_ knows what else. I'm _worried _about you, can't you see that?"

"Well, _don't_ be. I'm sixteen, dad. I can take care of myself!" And with that, Kankurou ran up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door behind him.

"Jeez," sighed Yondaime, running a hand through his hair, "That boy… This has to stop." He walked back to his own room and sat down on the bed.

"Maybe if he lived with his mother a while… But no, I can't call Karura. She and Gaara have enough to deal with…" He put his head in his hands, obviously deep in thought. "But wait… There is one place he can go…" A smile played across his lips. "Yes. I'll call him in the morning."

-La la la-

The next day at school, Kankurou fumbled with his locker combination. "Stupid thing…" He slammed his fist on it and it creaked open.

"Hey, Kank." A tall boy with long, dark hair approached him. He was wearing black trousers and a pinstriped coat over a black collared shirt, with a small blue rose pin attached to the lapel of the coat. His hair was held in a ponytail at the base of his neck.

"What's up, Shika?" Kankurou said, straightening up. He was wearing similar clothing: a pair of grey trousers, a black collared shirt, and a pinstriped tie with a small violet rose pin attached to it.

"Not much. Tenten told me she's bringin' a new girl to the club tonight."

"I dunno if I can go," Kankurou replied, picking up his books and slamming the locker. "My dad's been real weird about me going out every night. Thinks I'm committing felonies or somethin'."

"Damn. That's bullshit." They began walking down the hallway.

"Well if you didn't smoke a pack after every set…"

"Hey, hey. Don't blame me for this… My folks are too busy fighting with each other to even notice when I leave… Or when I come back four hours later smelling like booze."

"So?"

"So at least your dad cares."

"Psh. He just doesn't wanna lose me like he lost mom and Gaara."

"Mm. Hey, you ever miss them?"

"Hell naw. She's a bitch and he's a little freak. My dad's a bit better."

"Yeah, I guess. I hope if mine split up I get to live with dad. Mom's a megabitch."

"Tell me about it. Alright, see you at lunch."

"Yeah." Shikamaru grinned and strode to the back of the science lab. Kankurou kept walking to the end of the hallway towards the English room.

"You're late," the teacher said, without looking up from the book he was reading.

"Sorry, Mr. Hatake. My locker wouldn't open. _Again."_

"Always excuses with you. Siddown and prepare for an overload of Edgar Allen Poe."

"Sweet," came a mutter from the back.

"Shut yer trap and read, Uchiha!" Mr. Hatake snapped.

"Yes _sir._"


	2. The

"Hello?"

"Hi. It's me."

"Oh, hello, Yondaime. What can I do for you?"

"Well, it's Kankurou."

"My. What about him is troubling you?"

"I don't know, I just feel like he isn't telling me something… He's been coming home really late recently, and he won't tell me where he keeps going…"

"Ah. I see."

"Yes, and I thought maybe you could get him to tell you what's going on, or at least stop. Maybe he'll trust you better than me."

"Hm… I don't know about that, but I think I know someone who can help. I assume you want him to come live with us for a while?"

"That would be best, can you afford it?"

"Yes. Don't worry about it, Yondaime. I'm sure he isn't up to something _that _bad. He can come here any time."

"Thank you."

"You're quite welcome."

"I'll send him over as soon as he gets home from school."

"All right. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

-la la la-

Kankurou strode eagerly into the lunchroom. He looked around a couple times, then finally found what he was looking for: his table. He made his way across the crowded cafeteria towards the back corner, where several people were seated. The school, being small, had a mixed lunch period for all of the grades, except seniors, who ate first. That meant that Kankurou was the oldest one at his table. He sat down and began chatting with his friends.

To his left was seated Naruto Uzumaki. Naruto was wearing a pair of pinstriped trousers, an orange collared shirt, and a black pinstriped vest. He had one sleeve rolled up to eat his favorite lunch of Ramen. His blonde hair was messy and stuck up at odd angles, so he usually wore a hat, but the dress code in their school was strict. Naruto wore his orange rose pin on his vest.

Next to Naruto was Tenten. She was wearing a short-sleeved dark blue top, black trousers, black pumps, and long, black gloves that came to her elbows. She had her brown hair up in two buns at the top of her head. Her pink pin was clipped to the right-hand bun. Kankurou really liked Tenten. He had often considered asking her out on a date, but he knew she only had eyes for Neji Hyuuga.

Speaking of Neji, he was sitting in the next seat over from Tenten. He had long, dark brown hair, which he wore in a loose ponytail. His bangs covered up his strange, pastel eyes, giving him an air of mystery. He was wearing a blue pinstriped suit and a white tie. He normally wore a matching white fedora, but once again, that would be a dress code infraction. Neji wore his black rose pin on the lapel of his coat, like Shikamaru.

Across the table from Kankurou was Kiba Inuzuka. Two years previous, Kankurou had saved him from two bullies, Sakon and Ukon. Since then, Kiba had become something of a surrogate younger brother to him, in lieu of Gaara, who started going to a different school after the divorce. Kiba actually looked a lot more like Kankurou than Gaara, with the same messy brown hair and pointy black eyes. Kiba wore a red blazer, black trousers, and a black collared shirt. He proudly wore his red rose pin as an earring, dangling from his left earlobe.

To Kiba's left sat Chouji Akimichi, with wild light brown hair and deep black eyes. He could have gotten a lot of girls, in Kankurou's opinion, if only he weren't so pudgy. He was nice enough. Chouji wore a green vest, a black collared shirt, and black pinstriped trousers. He wore his white rose pin on the front of his vest.

Shikamaru was next to Chouji. Although Kankurou considered Shikamaru his best friend, the tall boy would almost certainly have said that _his_ best friend was Chouji. Kankurou didn't mind, because he knew that the two had known each other since elementary school. Besides, Shikamaru was an excellent friend to both him _and_ Chouji.

The next seat was empty. Kankurou assumed that the normal gap in between him and Shikamaru would be filled by the 'New Girl' they had heard Tenten talking about. That is, if she went to their school and wasn't a senior.

"So, Tenten," he said, looking past Naruto towards the brunette.

"Mmm?" She responded.

"Who's this new girl I heard Shikamaru talkin' about?"

"Oh, her! Well, you'll just have to see tonight. Oh, I just know you guys are gonna love her! I met her at my Tae Kwon Do lesson yesterday, and we talked for a while, and she seemed interested, so I thought I'd bring her around tonight!"

"…Sounds great," he said, trying to hide the fact that he may not be able to make it that night.

"Yes. I'm looking forward to it," said Neji.

"Me too! I love meeting new people!" Naruto chimed in, after swallowing a large clump of ramen.

"Yahoo!" Kiba exclaimed, "Is she hot?"

"Wouldn't know, don't swing that way, baby." Tenten grinned. Kankurou couldn't help but emulate her infectious smile.

"As long as she isn't too much of a drag," Shikamaru commented, "I'm sure she'll be fine." Chouji nodded in agreement, his mouth stuffed with potato chips.

-la la la-

Yondaime heard the door open and close, then footsteps, a dull_ thud_, and then the sound of the fridge opening. "Kankurou, that you?"

"Who else _would_ it be, dad?" He stood up, clutching a Coke in one hand.

"Well, go pack your things."

"…Why…?"

"Because, you're going to live with your uncle for a while."

"…I have an uncle?"

"Yes. And I'm not joking, go pack."

"Wait! Where am I going? Where does this guy live? How long am I staying there? Why-?"

"He lives in the next town over, I don't know, and because, Kankurou… I think you just need some time away from this place… A break from the same old-"

"You're giving up, aren't you? You think you can't _change_ me, so you're sending me off to some guy I've never even heard of! He's probably not even my uncle!"

"He _is._ He's your mom's brother."

"Why haven't I ever-?"

"You used to see him a lot when you were little. Then he moved to Japan for a few years. Don't worry, he has a…" he paused. "A daughter, right about your age, maybe a little older."

"Okaaay…" Kankurou said, drawing out the word to make it sarcastic. "So I'm still gonna go to my school?"

"Yes."

"…Are you sure about this? Do you honestly think I'm a lost cause?"

"Kankurou, I don't think you're a lost cause. The truth is, I just can't deal with worrying about you all the time and focus about getting back on my feet, okay?"

"I understand…" he muttered, and then started trudging up the stairs.

'_Holy hell, it'll be so easy to sneak out now! Guy's probably a pushover-mom used to let me sneak out all the time!'_ he inwardly punched the air.

* * *

LAWL. I just realized that the characters I picked for "Club Rose" are the Sasuke retrieval team plus Kankurou and Tenten. W00t, go me and my ability to tie in plotlines:D

Oh, and I had Shikamaru say, 'what a drag' instead of 'mendokuse,' because it fits better with the dialogue. AU. I can do that. Oh, and sorry my chapters are so short.


End file.
